Machine for covering wire



(N0 Model.)

J, M. su -MgHQRIoB MACHINE POR CVERING WIRE.

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i UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE..

JAMES M. RICE AND MERRIT H. RICE, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA.

MACHINE FOR COVERING WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,391, dated December 6, 1881.

Application filed July 22, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES M. RICE and MERRIT H. RICE, citizens of the United States, residing at the city and county of Dubuque, in the State of Iowa, have invented a new and improved machine for covering or wrapping wire, cord, or any core with either wire, cord, oss, or any suitable flexible material, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention consists, lirst, in a novel guide provided with a groove, and a passage leading into said groove, as will be hereinafter described second, in the guide provided with the groove, and passage leading into said groove, and a tension device, as will be hereinafter described third, in the guide provided with a screw-threaded portion,in combination with a shaft provided with a screw-threaded device, and means for operating the shaft, whereby the covering can be applied at the ends of wire in a peculiar manner, as will be presently described; fourth, in the guide provided with the groove, and the passage leading into said groove, and with another passage to admit the shaft, in combination with the shaft, certain other shafts or arbors, and means for operating the arbors, as will behereinafter described, fifth, in the combination of the traveling guide, the shaft provided with screw device, a belt-shipper lever, the revolving arbors, and means for revolving the arbors, as will be hereinafter described; sixth, in the guide provided with a screw-threaded passage, groove, a passage leading into the groove, and tension device, in combination with the shaft carrying a screw device, and certain other shafts or arbors; and, seventh, the guide provided with a groove, and passage leadinginto the groove, and with a screw-threaded passage, and an openingleading into said screw-threaded passage, as will be hereinafter described.

In the'accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top view and partial horizontal section of our improved machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same in the line .t :v of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a detail transverse section, showing more clearly the tension device of the guide. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of the guide, looking upward; and Fig. 6 is a broken cross-section of the guide proper and shaft on which it travels.

In carrying out .our invention any suitable frame or supporting device, AA', may be adopted.- A guide, B, is fitted to move along a rod or shaft, C, and internally on that portion, B', of the guide which nearly encircles said shaft or rod threads of a female screw, a, are cut. This screw-threaded portion of the guide B has an opening, b,formed in it on its upper side. The entrance of said opening stands greatly to one side of the center of shaft C, the opening being cnt in portion Bl diagonal to a vertical plane through the center of the shaft, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. By thus forming the opening the portion B of the guide proper, B, will, when in working position, overhang the shaft C in rear of its longitudinal center, as indicated at t in Fig. 6, and owing to this it will not be capable of descending so as to disconnect itself from the shaft; but when the guide proper, B, has moved on this shaft the desired distance it can be adjusted to such a position that by means of this opening it may be readily removed from the shaft and as readily replaced upon it at the end where the operation begins, it simply being necessary to adjust the guide to a position which will enable it to be moved obliquely downward off the shaft or upward obliquely upon the shaft. l

The inner end, B2, of the guide proper, B, is provided with a longitudinal guiding-groove, c, while its body is perforated to form a passage, d, said passage leading into the groove c, and extending from said groove to the point where thc screw-threaded portion FB of the guide is united with the guide proper, B. The body portion of the guide B is also provided with a vertical passage, f, at right angles to the passage d, and in this passage a forked tensionscrew, j", is fitted, and upon this screw an adjustingnut, g, is provided. The nut g is applied in a horizontal passage cut through the body portion of the guide proper, B. The forked end of the screw j" straddles the covering wire or material, which is passed through the passage d, and by turning the screw in one direction the said wire or material can be deected from a straight line, and thus tension upon this wire can be produced to the extent ICO desired. The groove in the inner end of the guide B fits the wire core which is to be covered, and thus permits said core to occupy a close relation to passage d while it is being covered and while the guide is passing along the core.

The wire or core G' to be covered is suspended by attaching its extremities to revolving arbors D D. The arbors D Dvare connected by gearing D2 D3 D4 D5 with the shaft G, and the same rate of speed is or may be obtained in each, if desired.

The arbors may be arranged to slide longitudinally, and they may be provided with devices which will produce any desired tension upon the core-wire C while it is being covered.

The material7 G2, used for covering the core C passes from a reel or spool, E, through the passage d of the body portion of the guide proper, B, when said guide is adjusted upon the rod or shaft C. In passing through the passage (l the covering material also passes through the forked end ofthe tension-screw f', and then into the groove c, and then around the core-'wire C', and is fastened to the latter.

The core-wire is revolved by means of the gears D2 D3 D4 D5, and the closeness and tightness ofthe wrapping of the covering material C2 upon it may be regulated and determined by the tension upon it and the acuteness or obtuseness of the angle at which it is passed from the guide upon the core-wire. If it is desired to wrap the core very closely, the wrapping orcovering should be passed on the core at an angle obtuse to the line ot'direction in which the guide moves; if less closely, at an angle less obtuse, right, or acute with said line, according to the degree of closeness desired.

In connection with the machine several guides proper, B, are employed, and in one the passage d may be at right angles to the line of direction in which the guide moves, in another at an angle acute thereto, while in another it may be obtusel thereto. The core C always maintains a tight or close lit against the grooved portion B2 of the guide proper, B; but the angle at which the covering-wire passes upon the core is produced by changing the direction of the passage d, through which the covering-wire passes upon the core. And in order to accomplish this an adjustable guide, or dierent guides which areinterchangeable with one another, may be provided with the machinethatis, one guide having its ,angle or passage at right angles to the line of direction in which the guide moves, another guide having the angle of the passage acute or obtuse thereto; but in all cases the line of the groove c is parallel to the core C. The wrapping is effected by the revolution of the suspended core, and as the sameis coiled around the core the guide is propelled along theshaft (l by the covering-wire already wrapped upon the core impacting against and pushing along the supply covering wire, and thereby the guide, as fast as the wrapping progresses.

'Ihe shaft proper, C, is, as shown, plain along or throughout its length, and the diameter of the screw-threaded passage a in the portion B of the guide proper, B, is much greater than th at of the shaft. Therefore the screw-threaded portion B slides freely on this shaft to the desired extent; but as it is necessary in compound wires or strings used on musical instruments to have the wrapping at and near the extremities with greater spaces or intervals between the coils, in order that the strings may be more iiexible and more readily and securely fastened and held in their proper positions and at the proper tension, a male screw, H, is provided upon the shaft C, the threads of which screw correspond to those cutin the orice or passage a in the portion B ofthe guide proper, B. This male screw H, ofa length requisite for the purposes for which it is designed, is made movablelongitudinally on the shaftG, and can be adj usted and secured in any place desired u-pon said shaft by meansV of a pin, m, and holes n, or in any other suitable manner, the adjustment being dependent upon the required length of the wire or core to be wrapped. As the portion Bl of the guide proper, B, is propelled upon the screw H its progress is accelerated and the wrappingis wound with greater intervals between the coils. The guide in traveling over the screw H presses laterally or backwardly against-,a shipping-lever, I, which is connected With'the belt-shipper J, and thereby throws the belt from a tight pulley, J', to a loose pulley, J2, and stops the winding at any point for which it is adjusted.

The belt-shipper rod may be provided with adjusting-holesj, whereby it may be adjusted in conformity with the position of the screwII on the shaft (J.

The advantage of our invention in wrapping com pound strings for musical instruments over other methods of wrapping the same is, the tension and motion being uniform andautomatie, the compound strings produced are uniform throughout -and perfect in all their parts and give no false notes.

The machine as herein shown and described is specially adapted for covering core-wires or other cores of certain lengths, such as com-v pound strings to be used on musical instruments, with wire or other suitable material; but our invention is not confined to this use, as the guide described can be used in other organized wire-wrappin g machines, and answer a very useful purpose.I

In carrying out our invention the shape-and form of the various parts of the machine described may be changed, and any equivalent tension device to the one described may be ein@ ployed for regulating the passage of the coveringmaterial upon the core-wire, and the core and wrapping may be of any degree of fmef;

ness

The spool for holding the covering material is represented as attached to the portion B of the guide proper, B 5 but it may be supported IOO IOS

IIS

Lak

in any other convenient position or manner, or it may be held in the hand; and instead of producing tension directly upon the Wire or other covering material, the spool might have any ordinary spool tension devices applied upon it for producing the requisite tension upon the covering material.

What We claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The guide B, provided with the groove c and passage d, leading into said groove, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The guide B, provided With the groove c and passage d, leading into said groove, and the tension device, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The guide provided with the screw-threaded portion B',in combination with the shaft G, provided with the screw-threaded device H, and means for operating the shaft C, substan tially as and for the purpose described.

4. The guide proper, B, provided With the groove c and a passage, d, leading into said groove, and with a passage, a', to admit the shaft C, in combination With the shaft C and shafts or arbors D D', and means for operating the arbors, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination of the traveling guide B, constructed as described, the shaft C, with screw `H, belt-shipper lever I, the revolving arbors D D', and means for operating the a'rbors, substantially as and for the purpose described.

'6. The guide B, havin ga screw-threaded passage, a a', in its portion B', and provided with a groove, c, a passage, d, and a tension device, f', in combination with the shaft C, male screw H, and the shafts or arbors D D', substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. The guide proper, B, provided with the groove c and passage d, and With a passage, a', and an opening, b, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JAMES M. RICE. MERRIT H. RICE.

Witnesses M. H. BEACH, C. J. WALSH. 

